Lady&#39;s garment



Sep't. 9, 1947. A. c. BISHOP LADYS GARMENT Filed Nov. 24, 1945.

3noentor AUDREY CROSS BISHOP attorney Patented Sept. 9, 1947 n LADY S GARMENT Audrey Cross Bishop, Seattle, Wash, assignor of one-half to Lilas M. Blodgett, Seattle, Wash.

Application November 24, 1943, Serial No. 511,527

My invention relates to a lady's garment, and more particularly to a garment such as a slip, a nightdress, or the like.

Two of the principal factors which determine the marketability of such garments is their fit and the economy with which they can be manufactured. By constructing such garments according to my invention both proper fit and economy of fabrication are achieved, while at the same time the garment is of pleasing appearance.

It is well known that woven material can stretch on the bias in conformity with the body contours, to fit snugly. On the contrary, the weave of the material in portions of the garment which are stressed considerably should be arranged so that one group .of threads is ali with the direction of principal stress, to resist in tension the forces to which that part of the garment is subjected.

A sleeveless and legless body garment, such as a ladys slip, is subjected to appreciable stress only in one part, and under only one type of body movement. That part is the lower back portion of the garment, which is stressed when the wearer bends forward or is seated. Consequently it is desirable for the weave of the cloth forming this portion of the garment to have its threads extending respectively vertically and circumferentially of the person.

On the other hand, in order to produce a garment of the general type here under consideration which fits closely about the waist, back and bosom of the wearer, the material covering these parts should be on the bias. In addition the side and front portions of the skirt should be on the bias, or substantially so, so that the material may drape gracefully from the relatively small dimension at the waist to the considerably greater dimension at the lower edge of the skirt, if it is sufficiently full to afford ample freedom of movement in walking. A further reason for the material at the waist of the garment being on the bias is to enable this portion to stretch circumferentially; accompanied by lengthwise shortening of the garment, while it is being put on, and after the garment is in place on the wearer to contract circumferentially and to be extended in length. 7

Economy in manufacture of such a garment can be promoted by saving in material and by saving in labor. Sewing the seams of the garment is the major labor factor, so that any reduction in the 8 Claims. (01. 2- 73) aggregate length of the seams required is desirable, Usually reducing'the number of pieces 55 smoothly and snugly around the waist.

principal object of my invention to arrange the forming the garment will contribute toward such result. In general, a, garment made of fewer pieces is also neater in appearance. No advantage is gained by the saving in labor effected by reducing the number of pieces, however, if such expedient causes a greater waste of material.

Heretofore, to the best of my knowledge, ladies" slips and similar garments have not been made with the weave of the material on the bias, or substantially so, in the bosom portion and in the front and side portions of the skirt, and with the weave of the material on the straight in the back of the skirt, while at the same time fitting It is a weave of the material in this manner, in a, ladys slip or comparable garment while at the same time constructing the garment so that it fits thebody correctly. Such agarment will shape itself readily to the body contours of the wearer, yet its lifewill be increased, and it will be inclined to hold its shape better after being worn I than previously available garments. V

A further important object of my invention'is to fabricate such a slip or the like from a minimum number of pieces of material, only two being required, thus greatly reducing the work involved in assembling the pieces, while a more attractive garment results. In accomplishing such object, no more scrap material is produced in cutting the pieces of the garment'fr om the cloth stock than occurs in making su'ch garments according to conventional practice. 0n the contrary, a garment constructed according to my invention can be made from considerably less material than is usually needed for a similar conventional garment of equal size.

More specifically it is an object to make the entire skirt and the bosom of the garment of a single piece of cloth, the weave of which extends in themost desirable directions in the various parts as mentioned above, and to make the upper portion of the back and central portions of the sides, extending around to the front of the garment, of another piece of material having its weave on the bias.

Still another object of the invention is to arrange the contour of the seam between the two pieces which form the garment to facilitate proper fitting over critical portions of the body, particularly beneath the bust and around the, waist. Such seam does not reinforce the waist portion of the garment in a manner to resist its stretching while the garment is being put on. The various seams will, however, provide additional strength 3 where most desirable. Moreover the contour of the pieces is such that for the most part the weave of the material on opposite sides of the seams i directed similarly, so that bias material is joined to bias material.

Additional objects of my invention will be appreciated after considering the following particular description of my garment. It will be understood that various details of itsconstruction can be modified to a greater or less degree while still employing its principal features.

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a slip embodying my invention, while Figure 2 is aside elevation view, and Figure 3 is a rear elevation view of the slip.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the twopanels of cloth constituting the blank employed in fabricating the slip, illustrating the relationship of such panels to a piece of material from which they have been out.

In making ladies garments, such as a slip, it. has'been recognized that the weave of the material from which the bosomportion is made should be on the biasinv order to fit close to the body. "A cylindrical band of material with its weave thus directed is not sufliciently flexible to fit correctly, and it has been considered necessary forthat reason to form even the upper portion of the "garment of severalpieces.

The skirt portion of a slip also has been made of several pieces. 4 Some manufacturers prefer the weave of the material fori'ning the skirt to be disposedvertically, but a cylinderof cloth with this weave direction is not satisfactory because, if it were 'made large enough so that the skirt bottomhas sufiicient. freedom of movement, there would be far 'too much material at the waist. On the other hand, some manufacturers prefer that the material be on the bias, which enables the skirt to fit and drape better than when the material is on'the' straight, but a single piece atlea'st four, and frequently more, separate pieces have been joined together to make slips,

Animportantfeature'in the fabrication of my slip isi the formation, from a single, piece I, of theentire skirtof the. garment I0, II, I2, the front of the bosom portion I3, and the front part of the garment at the waist I4, in which the weave I is on, a true bias for the entire area of the bosom, the waist front and the skirt front portions. It

band will be parallel to a group of threads of the material, but one edge of the panel will be parallel to the warp threads, and the other parallel to the woof threads. When the lateral edges of the skirt blank are joined together by a vertical seam medially of the skirt back, as shown in Figure 3, the weave of the material in the portions I2 on both sides of this seam will be on the straight.

Several advantages are obtained by fabricationof the. skirt in this manner. Only. a single seam I5 is required, and it extends down the center of the skirt back, where it is not noticeable, whereas side seams passing downward across the hips may appear as ridges beneath a tightfitting dress. Despite. the generous allowance of material'in the skirt it will drape in folds close to the figure because of the stretchability of the material on the bias in its sides II and front I0. The lower edge of the skirt therefore will not flare forwardly or laterally of the wearer, and it will fit smoothly at the side over the hip con tour. The back of the skirt, however, despite the stretching stress to which it is subjected when thewearerstoops forward or sits down, will hang straight and will not bulge or sag, becauseit is reinforced both by the straight weave of the material in portions I2, and bythe strengthening effect of the seam, I5itself. The skirt portion of the garment, therefore, has all the advantages of proper fit of a bias skirt without the attendant disadvantages.

is approximately on th e bias for the side portions I I of the skirt, and is on the straight for the skirt rear portions I2. Such direction ,ofthe weave is accomplished by cutting the blank I for this piece from cloth stock in the manner, indicated in Figure 4. The front center lineof the garment is placed on the cloth at45gdegr'ees to its threads,

that is, v on a true bias.

Since the bottom of the skirt must be considerably longer in circumference than the top of the skirt; in order to fit the wearer properly, both of these lines are generally arcuate. Whenever possible a skirt with adequate fullness is desired', and this can beachievedby making the skirt portion of the blank" in the form of an arcuateband, which in the present instanceforms mi ii felrart .o f r ne s b tanti quad,- i, ra'rit shape. When its front centerline ison av e Pies..t ieefsra's qh r qaledsepr tn snrn The bosom portion I3;of theslip may stretch circumferentially asnecessary to fit the bust, be-

cause itison a true bias, andthe points extendtion- I atthev waist, willfit-snugly. The lower edgesof the bosom portion I3 -may be gathered or tucked ateachsideof-the waist front portion I4, interconnecting the bosom and skirt portions, as indicated at I6, to draw the slip into fit beneath the bust.

The slip is completed by asecond panel 2 of the, blank the center line of which is also directed diagonally'of the threads of the cloth stock, as indicated in Figure 4, so that all the material in this elementof the, blank willbe-on a true bias. This panel is complemental to panel I, completing the slip blankand forms, the upper back portion of the slip v and a waist yoke extending forward around the sides to its front, these panels may, of course, be varied, but ;sev-

eral a(ivantages are. secured by shapingrthem approximately as illustrated in the drawings.

Preferably thelower edge I! of the bosom'or bodice front portion ,I 3 at opposite sides curves from ,the waist front portion I4 rearwardly and upwardlyto the upper edge ofthe garment, as may beseen in Fig.2, Theportions of such edge at the front and sidesare spaced a substantial distancejrom the upperedge I8 of theskirt part at the waist aboveits sideportions I I so that the waist front portiontakes .theform of a vertical-.

The contours of I the waist front band 14. The ends of these tabs are vertically coextensive with the length of this band and are joined to its opposite edges by generally vertical seams. It will be obvious that these tabs and the backpiece, forming the waist yoke, may be sufficiently short so that, when the opposite sides of the waist front portion H! are joined to such tabs 20, the waist portion of the slip will be held inward close to the body. This back piece 2 with its side tabs is designated a yoke because it supports the skirt portion of the slip and is responsible for the proper fit of the garment at the waist even though it is not necessary to gather the upper portion of the skirt. Such fitting is possible without undesired folds occurring in the material, because, as indicated, all the material at the waist is on the bias, and the excess fullness which would otherwise be present is removed by providing the notches in the radial edges of panel I which receive the tabs 20 of panel 2. l

The upper edges I9 of the skirt back portions l2 are curved downward even more sharply than the upper edges of the skirt side portions ll. When these back portions are joined together by seam l5, therefore, a pronounced angle is formed by and between edges l9. The lower edge of panel 2 is the shape of a ceratoid cusp, forming a point 2|, which fits in the angle between edge portions [9 of the skirt back as shown in Figure 3. This point, it will be noted, projects downward well below the waist of the garment, which is the portion of smallest circumference, as is apparent in Figure 2. When in the form of the blank the lower edge of panel 2 at opposite sides of this point is curved more sharply concave than the convexity of the upper skirt edge l8 and I9, as shown in Fig. 4. The seam joining the lower portion of panel 2 to the upper edge of the skirt is therefore of considerably greater length than the minimum circumference of the garment. Consequently this seam does not constitute a troublesome constriction when the slip is being put on, for the waist portion, which is smallest in circumference, may stretch because the cloth is on the bias throughout thi region, and the point 2! will be pulled upward to allow such expansion. When the garment is in place on the wearer, however, the weight of the skirt will draw the seam downward again into the position illustrated.

It is to be noted that the thread directions are parallel, or very nearly so, on opposite sides of the seam joining the panels I and 2 throughout almost its entire length. Such disposition of the threads facilitates the-formation of an even and smooth seam. Similarly, down the back of the skirt in each of the two parts l2, joined by seam IS, the weave is on the straight.

In a garment constructed as described above it will be seen that the length of the slip is not necessarily limited by the width of the material, since for longer than average garments an addi-- tional piece may be employed to fill out one corner of that back portion l2 which extends transversely of the material. Moreover the contour of the upper edge of the slip may be varied as desired. For wear beneath a dress out low in the back it is merely necessary to notch the upper edge of panel 2, as may be required. Alternatively this single back panel could be replaced by two pieces each incorporating a tab 20, but usually this will not be necessary, and is not considered preferable.

Ordinarily the length of the slip and the waist measurement bear a reasonably close relationship. The location of the waist may be altered readily merely by varying the proportions of bosom length to skirt length and similarly altering the position of tabs 20 of blank 2. The waist circumference may be decreased by cutting back the edge portions 12 of the skirt quadrant and shortening panel 2 circumferentially. While such operation will also decrease the peripheral length of the skirt bottom, this is not objectionable for a person having a small waist. Conversely, the waist measurement may be increased by extending the back portions 12 without the necessity of adding an insert, if the material stock is wide enough so that the slip skirt can be of sufficient length, and lengthening panel 2 circumferentially.

For a long-waisted person the waist front band I 4 may be made longer by spacing the bosom lower edge I! farther from the skirt upper edge l8,

and correspondingly increasing the width of tabs 20. For such variation usually the edge I! is raised and the edge l8 lowered, the extent of each alteration depending upon the particular location of the wearers waist. Conversely, for short-waisted persons the edges I1 and [8 may be located closer together, but even in such case they will be spaced apart a substantial distance. The controlling factor in each case, as previously mentioned, is that the edges I! curve upwardly and rearwardly immediately beneath the bust, while the edge portions [8 pass around the waist, curving increasingly rearwardly and downwardly immediately over the hips and merging with edges I9, to enable the garment to be fitted to best advantage. The shape of the blank used in the fabrication of my slip can thus be altered readily to fit precisely a particular wearer without changing the general quadrant shape of the blank. Since the weave of all the central parts is on the bias, however, the garment will fit well even though it may not be proportioned exactly for the individual figure.

It will be evident that cutting of the panels I and 2 can be facilitated, if desired, by folding the pattern and the cloth stock diagonally, and cutting the opposite side edges simultaneously, since each blank is symmetrical about its vertical center line; In many cases only about half as -much material will be needed for making a slip of the construction described than is used for most slips of conventional types. After the panels are joined together in the manner described the slip may be completed by adding shoulder strips 3, as is customary. The same procedure as described above would, of course, be followed for making a nightdress or similar garment as for making a slip.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ladys garment, such as a slip or the like, comprising two pieces joined together in edge relationship, one piece forming the bosom part and having its lower edge curving from the front of the garment upwardly and rearwardly at opposite sides, further forming a skirt part having the opposite ends of its upper edge curving downwardly and rearwardly from the waist line of the garment, and also forming a vertically extending waist front band of substantial length integrally interconnecting the skirt and bosom portions, the two upright ends of the skirt part being joined by a seam extending centrally down the back, and a second piece forming the upper back part of the garment and a waist yoke intermediate the skirt part and the bosom part, and having ends a ain waist front band and joined to the -opposite edges thereof. v

2. The garment defined in claim 1, the p 'osite ends of the skirt part upper edge converging downwardly to define an angle having its apex at the seam joining the skirt part ends, and the second piece having a lower edge centrally pointed in the form of a ceratoid cusp and fitted into such angle between the opposite ends of the upper edge of theskirt part and joined to such ends 3. A ladys arment, such as a slip or the like, consisting of only two pieces'joined together edge relationship, one piece forming the bosom part and having its lower edge curving new the front of the garment upwardly and rearw'ardl'y at oppositesides, further forming the entire skirt part having its upper edge curvin from the front of the garment at the waist rearwardly and downwardly at opposite sides, and also forming a vertically extending waist front band of substantial length integrally interconnecting the skirt and bosom portions, the weave of the entire bosom part, the entire waist front band, and thefront portion of the skirt part being on the bias, and the weave of the back portion of the skirt part being on the straight, the two upright ends of the skirt part being joined by a seam extending centrally down the back, and a second piece having its weave entirely on the bias and forming the upper back part of the garment and at waist yoke intermediate the skirt part and the bosom part, and having ends vertically coextensive with the length of said waist front band and joined to the opposite edges'thereof.

4. A lady's garment, such as a slip or the like, comprising a skirt portion, a bosom portion, a. waist front portion interconnecting the skirt and. bosom portions, and a waist yoke extending across the back and around the sides to'the front of the: garment and there terminating in tabs',-said tabs being joined to said bosom portion, said waist front portion and the front part of said skirt portion, the lower back edge of said waist yoke having a central portion projecting downward a substantial distance below said tabs of the waist yoke, and the back part of said skirt portion having a notched upper edge receiving and joined in edge relationship to such downwardly projecting; portion of said yoke.

5. A blank for a ladys garment, such as a slipor the like, comprising a panel of substantially quadrant shape adapted to form a skirt portion and a bosom portion and having corresponding: notches of substantial width extending inward. from the opposite radial edges thereof between.

said skirt and bosom portions, to define a radially 1 extending waist front band therebetween of sub-- stantial length interconnecting the skirt and. bosom portions, the upper edge of said skirt portion formed by said notches at opposite sides of said waist front portion being somewhat convex, and a second panel adapted to form an upper back portion and a waist yoke, having end tabs adapted for reception in the notches of said first panel and having a lower edge in the shape of a ceratoid cusp, the curved portions of such lower edge being concavely curved more sharply than the convex curvature of the upper edges of the skirt portion of said firstpanel but of a length substantially equal to suchfskirt portion -upper edges and adapted a; be joined thereto,

16 A lady's garment, such as a slip or the like, comprising only a single piece f'o'rming substandaily the entire b som, the skirt front and the skirt back of the garment, and an upper back portion "of the garment, said em' ie piece being joined to said upper back portion by a seam extending 'f'romthe f-ront'of the garment below the b'oso'in portion rearwardly around the waist of the garment "and downwardly to a location at the central portionoi the back a substantial distance below the --l obation of said Searnatth'e front of the garment and below the garment waist.

7. Aladys garment, sluch asa slip or the like, co'm'p sing a bodice portion and "a skirt portion, the front portion 6f the bodice andof the skirt both being on the bias, the back of the bodice portion being on the "bias, and the back of the skirt portion being "dii the straight, 's'aid bodice and skirt portions being joined by a seam extending around the major portion of the garment from the waist portion of the garment at the front and below the bodice portion rearwardly and downwardly to a location at the central portion of the back a substantial distance below the location of said seam at the front of the garment and beldw the garment waist.

8. In a ladys'garment, such as a slip or the like, a waist portion having a lower edge spaced a substantial distance downward from its upper edge, such lower edge extending rearwardly from the garment 'front "and curved concavely from the 'sides of 'the garment, substantially at its natural waistline, downwardly and rearwardly to form at the back of the garment and below its natural waistline a downward projection in the shape of "a ceratoid cusp, and a' skirt portioninclilding sides having upper edges substantially at the 'garments natural waistline and a back having an upper edge curving downwardly from and in continuity with the upper edges of the sides, and being -centrally notched below the garments natural waistline 'complemental to and receiving the ceratoid cusp downward projection of said waist portion, said lower edge of the waist porticn' and said upper edge of the skirtportion being joined in edge relationshiparound the sides and across the back of the garment by a seam of alength substantially longer than the circumferential extent of the garment around the corresponding portion of the 'garments natural waistline girth. p p

AUDREY CROSS BISHOP.

'inireaizncss em The following references are of record in the me of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

